Technology Inventory for Jordan Ridge

Today my co-teaching partner and I explored Jordan Elementary School in search of the technology that was available both inside the classroom and throughout the school. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this particular elementary school was very well equipped. In each classroom, you will find a projector, a flex camera, a television with VHS capabilities hung in one of the corners of the room, and at least one computer. Furthermore, there is a computer lab with 32 Macintosh computers available for class use. This is an extremely useful asset to the school because it provides students with the opportunity to become more familiar with computers and creative software programs designed for elementary students. Additionally, since the school can afford classes to have rotational computer lab time, students are exposed to exciting programs that are both educational and fun to work on. As I observed my first grade class, I was amazed at the procedures they were taught to use while in the lab, such as using bookmarks on the Safari web browser and computer key shortcuts to exit out of programs. I wish this area of the curriculum was a part of my education growing up!

Adjacent to this computer lab is the school's media center. As we talked with one of the workers, she informed us that there were many other technological aids, such as digital camcorders, cameras, flex cams, projectors, and televisions with DVD capabilities, that teachers could check out. She invited us to explore the other cabinets of the media center to help us with our technology inventory and we were excited to find two GeoSafari Jr. games, AlphaSmart keyboards, sketch projectors, and other cool hardware! This exploration was extremely informative because it gave my partner and I an idea of the technology that is available to us to implement in our future lesson plans.